Management of computing devices via reference to linked employee records

Abstract

Methods, systems, devices, and tangible non-transitory computer readable media for checking computing device inactivity are provided. The disclosed technology can access, based on a device policy, organizational data associated with activity of a user's computing device. Based on the device policy and the organizational data, a valid inactivity time period including continuous organization approved time periods of valid inactivity beginning at a most recent time the computing device was active and ending a predetermined amount of time after the most recent time can be determined. Based on the device policy and the organizational data, a determination of whether inactivity criteria associated with inactivity of the computing device are satisfied is made. Satisfying the inactivity criteria can include the computing device being inactive after the valid inactivity time period. Furthermore, indications associated with the computing device's inactivity can be generated if the inactivity criteria are satisfied.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A computing system tor automated information technology management responsive to changes in linked employee data, the computing system comprising:
 one or more processors; 
 one or more databases that store a centralized set of organizational data associated with an organization, wherein the centralized set of organizational data comprises a plurality of device objects respectively associated with a plurality of computing devices and a plurality of employee objects respectively associated with a plurality of employees of the organization, wherein a first device object of the plurality of device objects is associated in the one or more databases with a first employee object of the plurality of employee objects, wherein the first device object is associated with a first computing device of the plurality of computing devices, and wherein the first employee object is associated with a first employee of the plurality of employees of the organization; and 
 one or more non-transitory computer-readable media that collectively store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform actions, the actions comprising:
 receiving data descriptive of a change to the first employee object; and 
 responsive to receipt of the data descriptive of the change to the first employee object:
 identifying the first device object associated with the first employee object in the one or more databases; 
 accessing a device policy for the first device object; 
 evaluating the device policy based at least in part on the change to the first employee object; and 
 performing one or more operations determined from evaluating the device policy based at least in part on the change to the first employee object; 
 
 
 wherein: the device policy comprises a user-defined query expression expressed in a domain-specific query language; and evaluating the device policy based at least in part on the change to the first employee object comprises running the query against the centralized set of organizational data to return one or more query results. 
 
     
     
       2. The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the device policy comprises a configuration policy for automatically configuring the first computing device; and 
 performing the one or more operations comprises automatically configuring the first computing device to an updated configuration, wherein the updated configuration is based on the change to the first employee object. 
 
     
     
       3. The computing system of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the first computing device is separate and physically remote from computing system; and 
 automatically configuring the first computing device to the updated configuration comprises automatically installing one or more software applications onto the first computing device. 
 
     
     
       4. The computing system of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the first computing device is separate and physically remote from computing system; and 
 automatically configuring the first computing device to the updated configuration comprises automatically uninstalling one or more software applications from the first computing device. 
 
     
     
       5. The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein: performing the one or more operations determined from evaluating the device policy comprises modifying one or more access controls associated with the first computing device; and the one or more access controls comprise account settings or password settings. 
     
     
       6. The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the change to the first employee object comprises a change to an employment status included in the first employee object, the employment status indicating whether or not the first employee is actively employed by the organization; and 
 performing the one or more operations determined from evaluating the device policy comprises activating or deactivating the first computing device based on the change to the employment status included in the first employee object. 
 
     
     
       7. The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein evaluating the device policy based at least in part on the change to the first employee object comprises evaluating organizational data descriptive of relationships between multiple different employees within an organizational hierarchy of the organization. 
     
     
       8. The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein the change to the first employee object is automatically performed by the computing system based on data ingested from a third party application. 
     
     
       9. The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the organizational data comprises a graph; 
 the first employee object and the first device object comprise nodes in the graph; and 
 the association between the first employee object and the first device object comprises an edge between the nodes in the graph. 
 
     
     
       10. The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the change to the first employee object comprises a change to a work location included in the first employee object; and 
 performing one or more operations determined from evaluating the device policy comprises modifying one or more software licenses associated with the first device object. 
 
     
     
       11. The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein the device policy comprises a user-defined policy defined by an information technology administrator. 
     
     
       12. A computer-implemented method for improved computing device operations based on organizational relationship data, the method comprising:
 maintaining, by a computing system comprising one or more processors, one or more databases that store a centralized set of organizational data associated with an organization, wherein the centralized set of organizational data comprises a plurality of device objects respectively associated with a plurality of computing devices and a plurality of employee objects respectively associated with a plurality of employees of the organization, wherein a first device object of the plurality of device objects is associated in the one or more databases with a first employee object of the plurality of employee objects, wherein the first device object is associated with a first computing device of the plurality of computing devices, and wherein the first employee object is associated with a first employee of the plurality of employees of the organization; 
 receiving, by the computing system, device data associated with the first computing device; 
 determining, by the computing system and as a result of evaluating a device policy associated with the first computing device based on the device data, that one or more operations have been triggered; 
 identifying, by the computing system and based on organizational structure data that defines organizational relationships between the plurality of employee objects, a second employee object that is a specified subject of the one or more operations triggered by the device policy associated with the first computing device, the second employee object being different from the first employee object; 
 identifying, by the computing system, a second employee that is associated with the second employee object; and 
 causing, by the computing system, the one or more operations to be performed relative to the second employee; 
 wherein: the device policy comprises a user-defined query expression expressed in a domain-specific query language; and evaluating the device policy associated with the first computing device based on the device data comprises running the query against the centralized set of organizational data to return one or more query results. 
 
     
     
       13. The computer-implemented method of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the one or more operations comprise a transmission of a notification; 
 the second employee object is a specified recipient of the notification; and 
 causing the one or more operations to be performed relative to the second employee comprises causing the notification to be transmitted to the second employee. 
 
     
     
       14. The computer-implemented method of  claim 13 , wherein:
 the device policy indicates that the notification should be sent to a manager of the first employee; and 
 the organizational structure data indicates that the second employee is the manager of the first employee. 
 
     
     
       15. The computer-implemented method of  claim 13 , wherein:
 the device policy comprises a set of rules regarding permitted software installations on the first computing device. 
 
     
     
       16. The computer-implemented method of  claim 13 , wherein:
 the device policy comprises a set of rules regarding storage amounts at the first computing device. 
 
     
     
       17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media that collectively store:
 one or more databases that store a centralized set of organizational data associated with an organization, wherein the centralized set of organizational data comprises a plurality of device objects respectively associated with a plurality of computing devices and a plurality of employee objects respectively associated with a plurality of employees of the organization, wherein a first device object of the plurality of device objects is associated with a first employee object of the plurality of employee objects; and 
 instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a computing system to perform actions, the actions comprising:
 receiving device data associated with a first computing device associated with the first device object; 
 obtaining a device policy associated with the first computing device; 
 accessing, from the centralized set of organizational data, an employee record associated with the first employee object with which the first device object is associated in the centralized set of organizational data; 
 evaluating the device policy based at least in part on the employee record to determine one or more operations; and 
 performing the one or more operations determined from evaluating the device policy; 
 
 wherein: the device policy comprises a user-defined query expression expressed in a domain-specific query language; and evaluating the device policy based at least in part on the employee record comprises running the query against the centralized set of organizational data to return one or more query results. 
 
     
     
       18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 17 , wherein:
 evaluating the device policy based at least in part on the employee record comprises determining, based at least in part on the employee record, whether the first employee is currently on paid time off. 
 
     
     
       19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 18 , wherein performing the one or more operations determined from evaluating the device policy comprise suspending generation of an inactivity alert until the first employee is no longer on paid time off.